February 5 - End of The Punic Wars

This Day in History: 5 February 2020

 

5 February 146 BCE

 

2166 years ago, today, the Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage ended, after over a century of fighting, when the Roman Republic finally triumphed over its nemesis. The event that marked the culmination of the Wars was the destruction of the city of Carthage, and it also represented Rome's replacement as the dominant power of the Western Mediterranean. The Punic Wars began when Rome expanded West, East and South, bringing it into conflict with Carthage. Rome won both the First and Second Punic Wars, but Carthage did come close to victory. The famous Hannibal led his army in the Second Punic War, which included three dozen elephants.

 

The Third and final Punic War comprised of simply the invasion of North Africa by Roman forces. Rome suffered several defeats, before laying siege to Carthage after blockading and overtaking the port, causing starvation and panic. The city fell, and its population of 50,000 were sold into slavery, a barbaric yet standard practise for the era. This Third Punic War left Rome the dominant military, naval, economic and political power of the Western Mediterranean, and Rome would use this power to establish one of the largest empires of all time.

 

Want to read more about the events that occurred during the Punic Wars? Click here for more information.